Functional Predictors of Frailty and Kidney Disease Burden in Patients with End-stage Renal Disease Receiving Dialysis

Objectives: In patients receiving dialysis, the prevalence of frailty can be as high as 73%; however, systematic identification of frailty and the relation to disease burden is not standard practice.This study examined whether functional outcome measures would predict frailty and kidney disease burden among patients receiving dialysis, which would enable more efficient assessments.Methods: The study included twenty-eight patients receiving dialysis to analyze the number of falls in the past year, Timed Up and Go time, and 30-second sit-to-stand repetitions as predictors of the (a) Fried frailty score and (b) Kidney Disease Quality of Life burden of kidney disease subscale score.Results: The functional outcome measures were significant predictors of frailty score (R 2 = 0.784, F = 29.4,P < .001).The number of falls in the past year was a significant predictor of kidney disease burden (R 2 = 0.22, F = 7.20, P = .01).Conclusions: The results provide evidence for the use of higher Timed Up and Go times and fewer 30-second sit-to-stand repetitions as predictors of the Fried frailty score.An increased number of self-reported falls in the past year predicted a higher burden of kidney disease.